The Thirteenth Prince
by Imagimanga
Summary: As an adult, he is hated. As a child, he is still hated but by most of his family.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I know how a lot of people absolute flame on Hans for being a complete jerk to Anna and Elsa and everything. But I wanted to give him a backstory. In my mind, Hans was a neglected child who wanted power because that was how he saw the world. He believed that in order to be happy you need power to stand up for yourself. Of course, when you are the neglected youngest brother, you don't exactly get the best advice.**

* * *

He panted heavily as he weaved in and out of the trees. He could hear his heartbeat race as he ran through the dark forest. He did not care if he got lost. Getting lost means never having to go back. But they were following him, and he did not want them to catch him. Tears and rain meshed together and slowly rolled down his cheek. Just a little longer, he promised himself. Just a little more.

He ran even faster but his coat snagged on a branch. He frantically tugged at his coat.

"Hans!" echoed a voice.

His tears started to roll down even faster as he unbuttoned his coat and abandoned it. He stepped forward only to activate a trap that shot multiple arrows at his shirt sleeves that landed on a nearby tree causing him to be stuck and helpless.

"Hans!" the voice was nearer this time.

Hans held back more tears and let the remaining tears roll down his chin. His mouth trembled and his hands shook.

"Hans!" A guard appeared and smiled with relief at the sight of the prince. "Hans-"

"Where is he?" a sharp voice snapped.

"He's here, trapped against a tree." The guard's smile vanished and he fearfully glanced to another man.

The man appeared in regal clothing. It was a beautiful white suit with many medals and gold trim decorating the coat. He angrily glared at Hans who trembled at the sight of him. "You." He grabbed Hans' shirt and pulled him away from the tree without care. He grabbed his hair and pulled it so Hans' eyes met his. "You will march straight to the castle without a word coming out of that mouth, understand me?" He let go of Hans and he fell to his knees.

Hans gulped and nodded.

"GO!" the man ordered.

Hans scrambled back up and ran to the castle as fast as he could. He could not escape this time. Tears rolled down his cheek again. Not this time.

Once he reached the doors of the castle they were opened up by two guards standing on night duty and a pale woman in a beautiful purple nightgown stood in front of him.

"Hans, are you okay?" she asked as she embraced his shaking body.

"You!" a voice thundered.

The woman let go of Hans as the king entered her sight and Hans backed away from him.

"Please, you can't be so horrible to your own son," she said to him.

"A son of mine could never be so weak and helpless," he glares at the woman. "And you shouldn't even be awake at this hour."

"I was worried."

"About him?" the king thundered. The woman did not falter.

"After all, he is also my son," she answered.

The king turned to Hans. "Go, now."

Hans walked up a nearby staircase and turned right out of the king's and queen's sight. He opened a door leading to an almost empty room and closed it. He sat down in front of the door and looked down at the floor as he was about to let a flood of tears loose.

"Aw, look at poor Hans," a voice said.

Hans looked up and in front of him were twelve boys older than him. His eyes widened in fear of what would happen next.

"You know, Father never loved you. The only reason he went out to get you was because he didn't want you to expose our secret," said another boy.

"But like you're brave enough to do that," another brother said. "But let's make sure." He raised a bottle of a truth serum.

Three other boys held onto Hans as he thrashed about and cried silently. One of the three boys forcefully opened Hans' mouth and the brother holding the serum poured the liquid into Hans' mouth. Hans' mouth closed and he had no choice but to swallow the serum.

The three boys let go of him and stood back.

"Now," another boy said, the oldest, "let's see . . . tell us if you would ever tell anyone our secret- and don't forget to be specific about the secret. We don't want you looking through loopholes."

Hans opened his mouth. "I will never tell anyone . . . that . . ."

"Hurry up, we have to get to our rooms before the sun comes up!" a boy said. He seemed only a little older than Hans.

"I will never tell anyone that . . ." Hans said, "that our . . . father . . . or all of you . . . are . . . of darkness."

"Good. Now tell us why," the eldest ordered.

"Because . . . I'm . . ." Hans gulped, "weak . . . and pathetic."

"Hey, you made him admit it!" the second oldest grinned.

"That's right, you are weak and pathetic. You're also a kid that no one likes," the oldest smirked.

"We should probably move, we don't want anyone knowing we upset the baby," one of them said.

"The queen's baby that is. Only our mother likes you and that's because she is of light and not darkness," the second oldest scoffed.

"How could darkness spread to us twelve and not him? It doesn't make any sense," one said while kicking Hans away from the door.

"What if he gets it later on?" another asked when opening the door.

"Even then he'll be too late, of all thirteen of us we know who is the least powerful by just looking," the oldest moved out of the room and the rest followed.

Hans climbed into the bed and hid under the covers as if it was a barrier between him and the rest of the world. Power, strength, bravery, things he did not have that they did. Things that separate him from the rest of his family. Even his mother had bravery, but not him. But the one thing keeping him from being happy was power. Power that could relieve him of his brothers.

I forgot something, he thought from under the covers. He pushed the blanket away and sat up. He climbed out of bed and tip-toed to the other side of the room. He opened a dumbwaiter and found the crate slowly make its way up to him. In the crate was a small cake and a fork. It was simple with barely any decorations but it was a cake enough to lift his spirits even a little. He picked it up and closed the dumbwaiter. He picked up the fork and cut a piece small enough to fit in his mouth. It was a savory vanilla flavor. He looked down to the cake and read the small lettering.

 _Happy 13th Birthday! -The chefs_

* * *

 **What?! Tortured on your birthday? What gives, jerks? But they're half right and half wrong. He is hated but because he's a cold-hearted jerk. I hope you liked this chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's another chapter! This is a pretty short story . . . I'm thinking that it will only be three or four chapters long. Well, here is your story!**

* * *

Hans woke up to the sound of knocking at the door. He rubbed his eyes and called out, "Y- Yes?"

"Go down immediately. The king is almost at the table," a voice replied in a whisper.

Hans jumped out of his bed quickly and stripped off his night clothes. He slipped on a white suit and rushed out the door. He walked down the staircase leading to the entrance hall and made his way to the dining hall. He was about to walk into the room when one of his older brothers stepped in front of him. It was the second youngest.

"Hey," he asked, "what is it?"

"I'm here for breakfast," Hans replied in a small voice.

"Go eat with the horses," his brother grinned. "It's where you belong."

"What-" Hans started. But another brother, the third eldest, picked him up and both brothers ran out to the stables.

The third eldest threw him into a stable and grinned before walking away while saying, "He's all yours."

Hans looked at his brother in fear and gulped as he backed away from him.

"Hans, you and I both know that how they—sorry, we—treat you is horrible. So why don't you listen to me." He inched closer to Hans and squatted in front of him. "Brother, I know that you want out. We want you out as well. So let's make a deal."

"Why would you help me?" Hans asked in a small voice.

"Because you're closest to me. Ever since birth, you know." His brother grinned. "Being twins and all." Hans stared at his brother's cold eyes. "Call me when you want to know what the deal is."

Then he left. Hans stood up shakily but fell down. He whispered aloud, "What do they want from me?"

He heard a whine from the other side of the stable. He stood up and looked around. He walked to the other side and saw a very small horse lying on the cold ground.

"He's sick," said a voice.

Hans turned his head and saw the stable boy who walked beside him and gave a sympathetic smile.

"Why?" Hans asked.

"We're not exactly sure," he answered.

"Will he be okay?"

"I'm not sure."

Hans gave the stable boy a confused look. "What?"

"Sometimes when an animal is sick and we can't help it become better," the stable boy explained, "it dies. Or sometimes _we_ are forced to kill it."

Hans looked at the sick horse in the stall. It was thin. It had a white and black mane and a very light brown coat.

"How long does it take until you kill it?" Hans whispered.

"It depends," he answered. "But the time is nearing for this one."

"Can I help it?" Hans asked.

The stable boy looked at Hans. "You do know-"

"He has a chance," Hans said. "I can feel it."

The stable boy smiled. "Sure, go for it."

 **THREE YEARS LATER**

"Good boy, Sitron," Hans smiled.

The horse ate the carrot from Hans' hand.

"I told you," Hans whispered to the horse, "that you had a chance."

And the horse did have a chance. It now stood on its four legs regally. He was properly fed every day. You could never tell it was a sick filly three years ago.

"Hey," his twin brother had been watching from a distance. "Have you considered yet? It's been three years."

"Right now my only concern is Sitron," Hans told his brother. Ever since caring for Sitron, Hans had been a bit more courageous and would occasionally stand up for himself against his brothers, especially his twin brother.

"Really?" his twin asked. "Then I guess I'm going to have to change up the deal a bit."

"I don't care about the deal," Hans said.

"Oh? Well, that's too bad. Guess you'll have to stay here for the rest of your life, then."

"I'll find a way out on my own," Hans patted Sitron's nose while smiling faintly.

"Um, you're sixteen, right?" his twin brother asked.

Hans ignored his stupid remark and led Sitron to the stables.

"Let's see . . . that would mean . . . yeah, that seems pretty good," his brother thought aloud.

"What are you talking about?" Hans asked.

"I'll tell you in a while."

"How long's a while?"

"About five or six years."

"What?" Hans had locked Sitron into his stall and already started walking back inside.

"Just trust me," his brother said. "I'll get you out of here."

* * *

 **So what exactly is his brother going to do? Geez, he better not hurt him. . . . You'll find out what his brother's deal is in the next chapter! See you all later! Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

_The king tried to stand up, but fell to the cold stone floor._

" _What will you do to me?" he asked. "Kill me? Take the throne?"_

" _I'm not after the crown or revenge," the witch said in her rough voice. "To take your place or kill you would be pathetic. It's not a good enough punishment for what you have done to us."_

" _Then what is it?"_

 _The witch grinned. Her back, humped and bent over, suddenly straightened out, causing her to look taller than before. Her gray stringy hair turned black and fell to her waist. The lines and wrinkles on her face and hands disappeared from existence. Her lips, now a velvet red, moved. "I will curse you," she told him in a silky voice. "I will curse you for taking away my daughter's life."_

 _The king's eyes glared at the witch. She smiled as he sat on the floor, waiting to hear the curse._

* * *

 **FIVE YEARS LATER**

"What?" Hans asked incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"You know how we've been trying to reach Arendelle, brother." his brother said. "We've been trying ever since the king and queen had their . . . accident. But their two princesses never responded."

"Where do I come in?" Hans asked. "In fact, why does it even matter?"

"I'm getting there. Be patient." His brother stood up from his seat and walked over to Hans who was standing in front of the large brown desk. "We've been trying to reach them for their older princess' hand in marriage."

"What?" Hans asked in shock.

His brother lifted up a hand to stop Hans from interrupting. "But, of course, there was and is no way the princess, now at coronation age, will accept any of our hands." He then pointed to Hans. "Except for yours. Now, our brothers _have_ tried, but none of them were close enough to become the new king. You, though, have a chance."

"Why would I do something like that?" Hans asked. "I'm not going to do this." Hans turned to walk out the room.

"Don't you hate," his brother continued right before Hans closed his hand on the doorknob, "being ignored and looked down upon by Father?" Hans closed his hand on the cold knob but did not twist it. "I mean, you're already the youngest of thirteen kids, but being ignored and underestimated, too? Not a good sign."

"What do you mean it's not a good sign?" Hans turned back to his brother.

"Don't you know what happens if you can't find a queen and don't become a king?" Hans' brother asked rhetorically. "You are deemed a disgrace. Don't you think you've been through enough?"

"It was never my choice to be a prince." You could barely see the grimace on his face.

His brother almost grinned. _I love how you're so right._

"I understand that you never wanted to be in this situation. But think about it. If you really give up now, you give up having the best life ever."

"You think it's the best life ever," Hans said. "Do you even know what _I_ want? Do you even know what _I_ would call a good life?"

"You get everyone's respect if you do this successfully. If you don't or fail, your life crumbles. No one will want you. Everyone will shun you and turn their backs to you."

"That's my life now," Hans snapped. "Don't ever lay out my fate in front of me."

* * *

The guards ran up the stairs to the dark library. They threw the door open as their weapons lay in hand. They saw the small limp body on the floor. They saw the young boy cradling his younger brother's head as he grit his teeth.

"What happened?" one of the soldiers asked.

"I . . ." Hans twin brother looked up to the soldiers. "I don't know."

"Are you sure?"

He opened his mouth to answer then grit his teeth again. His head fell forward to look at Hans' face. "I don't know," he whispered.

 _Hans was walking into the library where she was reading in the late hours. She always does that. Hans never stayed up that late. Hans stood and talked with the woman. She wore a light green nightgown and smiled as she conversed with her youngest son. She was smiling when he walked closer to her. She was smiling happily. And it was suddenly gone._

Hans' brother cursed under his breath. _This isn't good. I have to_ hurry.

 **AN: I hope you like this chapter! I'm thinking of having the next chapter be the last, but that's if my plan stays the same. Hope you read the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I understand that some of you may have been confused with the previous chapter, but it was just a cliffhanger. I hope this last chapter clears things up a bit. Yes. This is the last chapter.**

* * *

 _The witch waved a hand in the air. Her hand was shrouded in a blue smoke and a crown appeared in her hand. She set the crown on her head and walked around the king._

 _"Being the complete idiot you are, my king," she said sweetly, "I must act out your curse." She stopped walking. "Of course, this is also just to see your face at the end of my play." She continued walking. "This is your castle," she started, gesturing to the king, "and I am you. You will be blessed with a beautiful queen who will give you many children."_

 _"How is that a curse?" the king asked._

 _The witch turned her head to him. "Curses, like the one you gave me, need a little give," she answered, smiling sweetly, "and take."_

* * *

Hans glanced at his brother who was studying the boat. Hans then glanced at his other brothers. The eleven other brothers stood in front of the king and in between two palace guards. The brothers stood stoic and emotionless. Hans could not tell if they were angry at him or not. In fact, Hans did not really care about how they felt then. It was too stressful for Hans to properly act out this mission from his brother.

"Hans," his brother called out. "It's time to go." The two brothers walked onto the ship and turned back to their brothers. "We'll be back soon!"

"I'll just hope we hit a blizzard," Hans muttered.

"Lighten up," his brother whispered. "It will only be for a few days. You won't have to worry about anything afterwards."

"You know who else might have said that? The king and queen of Arendelle. How did that end up?"

"Shut up." His brother waved good-bye to their brothers and the king. "We'll be fine."

* * *

 _She continued on, walking and talking. "Do you know how many sons you'll end up having?" She waved her hand again, this time a piece of paper appeared. The paper was a map of the Southern Isles. "Count the islands you reign over. Each island represents one child."_

 _"Twelve," the king said._

 _"Twelve?" The witch turned the map so she could read it. "This makes it much easier." She handed the map to the king. "Check again."_

* * *

"Hans, get over here."

Hans walked to his brother. His brother had holed himself up in the corner of the ship, studying a map.

"Do you believe in fate? Or Destiny? Maybe coincidence?"

"I miss Citron. Maybe I should just ignore you and check how he is."

"Look at this."

Hans looked over his brother's shoulder and looked at the map he was studying. "What am I supposed to look at? This is the map of the Southern Isles."

"Yes, but count the smaller islands."

Hans counted the islands. One resided northwest of the mainland. Three more were on the eastern side of the mainland. Four islands were up north. Another group of three was located to the southwest. To the southeast were two islands, though it was hard to make out since they were very close together.

"Thirteen," Hans said, "for each prince."

Hans' brother grinned. "Do you now believe in your part as a prince?"

* * *

 _"What have you done?!" the king bellowed._

 _"Be quiet, this isn't even half as much damage you did to me," the witch huffed._

 _"One of my islands have split in two!"_

 _" Will," the witch said. "I'll give you time to figure out how to fix the houses where it had been split for when the time comes."_

 _"I suppose that was the last word of the curse," the king glared at her._

 _"Oh, no. There's still more."_

* * *

Hans' twin brother lay in the cot, thinking, as his brother dozed away.

 _What should I do? It's going to happen soon. I don't even know if I want this or not. I can't forgive him for doing that to Mother, but I still don't know if I should do this. What if it comes while we're still on the ship? What if I run out of time? Will the prophecy even come true? Was it all a bluff?_

He turned to face Hans as he lay in the cot.

 _As a prince, I can't endanger my kingdom or my family. Even if the threat is . . ._

Before he could finish his thought, he had drifted to sleep. And that's how most would have wanted it to stay. With the two brothers asleep. Still alive, but asleep.

* * *

 _"What do you mean-"_

 _"It's exactly as I say, my king. You will have thirteen children with great strengths. The first will be your heir. He will be a glorious ruler who will continue your name. The second, third, and fourth will fetch you a handsome sum of gold. Those three boys will charm and marry the most beautiful, fair, and rich of all princesses and will send a share of the money to their precious father. The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth will become great geniuses and travel farther than the ends of the earth, spreading your name and your achievements. The ninth, tenth, and eleventh will become magnificent soldiers. Though they never will be very close to the throne like the previous four, their achievements will ring throughout the entire world, giving you plenty to brag about. The twelfth will be your most loyal son. He will do everything as you say. He will be blinded by your greatness and hope to be seen as greatness by you. That will be a pleasant blessing."_

 _"And what of the thirteenth?"_

 _"He's the curse. . . ."_

* * *

"Hans, wake up. Hans. Hans!"

"We're at Arendelle already, aren't we?" Hans' voice was muffled by the pillow he pressed his face to as his brother groaned for him to wake up.

"Just wake up, I need to tell you something about this."

"Is it important?"

"Do you want to live?"

Hans sat up groggily and stared at his brother with tired eyes. "What is it?"

"Get dressed as I tell you."

Hans stood up and yawned. "Fine." He opened a chest full of clothes. "What's the occasion?"

"Just use formal wear for now," His brother answered. "First thing I need to tell you is that you have to act smart when you interact with anyone connected to the royal family."

"That's just about everybody," Hans mumbled, pulling a pair of boots on to his feet.

"You _are_ taking me seriously, right?" His brother raised a brow.

"Yes, I am. Keep talking."

"Second thing is big, so get comfortable."

"A bit too late for that." Hans pulled a tight jacket over his shirt. He swept away some dust and looked at his brother. "What is it?"

"The prophecy-"

"Great. There's a prophecy." Hans interjected.

"The prophecy is an old curse," Hans' brother explained, "laid by a witch on our father."

Hans' brows knotted together. "Why?"

"He had done something to the witch," his brother said. "He killed her daughter."

"Why-"

"Why he did that isn't part of the prophecy." His brother leaned against a pole. "And I'm supposed to tell you the prophecy. The prophecy is a fate laid by the witch for us." Hans opened his mouth, but was cut off by his brother. "The witch had many fates in store for us. For example, mine was to be loyal to Father even after my death."

"That's not exactly fate, though."

"Yes, but yours is what Father fears. Father fears being thrown to the ground. Being looked down upon. But that wasn't enough for the witch. She could destroy Father's pride but what she really wanted was to feel Father's fear. She wanted you to scare him. She left him a note on the day we were born: _Let the boys be one but let the younger reign on. Let the boys be one but let the younger be the monster. He will be the monster we fear. He is yours. He will create the worst possible pain: heartbreak. He will freeze the hearts of those who love. He will break your heart and his brothers'. He will take away the queen you love. As long as the storm of the rage you felt in your past lives, he will live._ "

Hans glared at his brother. He was furious. Did he really have a fate he never chose? Was he really never to even be born if his father had not killed the witch's daughter? He was born out of a grudge. "But," Hans walked away and up the stairs to the deck, "that's if I let that storm rage on."

* * *

 _"The thirteenth will have the fate you never wanted."_

* * *

 **Hope that cleared up most of the confusion! Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! :)**


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